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The Perfect Summertime Grilled S’mores Recipe

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With Summer plans in limbo for everyone, we’re all scrambling to find fun things to keep our families busy. What better time to get creative with Summer recipes, am I right?

All three of my kids are in this really picky ‘grilled cheese’ phase. You know the kind of phase. It’s where literally all they will eat is plain old grilled cheese and nothing else.

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

The funny thing about kids is that no matter how much they refuse real food, they will never ever turn down sweets. To tell you the truth, neither will I! I mean, we all love sweets, am I right?!

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

The great thing about ‘Summer recipes’ is that it doesn’t have to be Summer to create them. As much as we would like to be around the campfire, life doesn’t always work out that way. In fact, on the best of days a good backyard campfire can quickly be ruined by a quick rainstorm or a fussy toddler. So, why not bring the backyard favorite indoors?

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

For instance, a fun family favorite is S’mores. Everyone loves s’mores, right? Even I, someone who doesn’t really like chocolate, LOVES a good s’more. Truthfully, I prefer a non-traditional s’more with chocolate caramels instead of a chocolate bar. But a s’more is a s’more!

Tips for getting your s’more on indoors!

My first tip is this — don’t eat the chocolate (or the marshmallows!) before you start your s’mores! This is the most important and most difficult task!

My second tip is to use real butter. Margarine just doesn’t fry up and crisp the bread the way that real butter does! And I prefer salted butter — it just gives it a little salty-sweet flavor combo that is extra delicious!

Yield: 1

Grilled S'mores

GRILLED S'MORES SANDWICH

Have this decadent and RICH Summer recipe year-round!

Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of white bread
  • 1/4 cup of mini marshmallows
  • 1/4 cup of chocolate (dark or milk)
  • tablespoon of butter

Instructions

    1. Butter one side of each piece of bread with real butter (works better than margarine).
    2. Place 1 slice of bread onto a frying pan
    3. Set the heat to low (electric level 1 or 2). The process is slow and steady!
    4. Place chocolate chips and marshmallows on top of the slice of bread and top with second piece of bread (butter side up).
    5. Cover with lid to frying pan until chocolate starts to melt.
    6. Flip over once chocolate is melted. Fry other side until it is toasted (lid off).

Notes

This is completely addictive. I am warning you! Also, feel free to try with peanut butter cups or your favorite chocolate (like peppermint patties or ROLOs!).

As you can see, this recipe is simple and easy. I wish I could say it was also healthy, but it most definitely is NOT!

So tell me — what is your favorite chocolate for s’mores — milk or dark?

PIN ME - Perfect Indoor S'mores Recipe
PIN ME - Perfect Indoor S'mores Recipe

Fall Family Bucket List + Printable Checklist!

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I’ve never been to keen on Summer. But Fall? Fall is my dream come true. It’s something that I’ve also passed on to my children. They love all things pumpkin, all things sweater, and all things

Instead of trying to meet impossible standards (thanks, Pinterest), try and focus on the simplicity of the season.

I’ve rounded up a small list of my favorite Fall Family Bucketlist Items for you to check out. Make sure to pin and save the printable below!

kids in pumpkin patch

Visit a Pumpkin Patch

What could be more basic than a pumpkin patch?! Nothing! But that’s the beauty of the season. My husband and I bought our pumpkins from the store once. And, at the time, that was fine. But there’s just something about picking out your own pumpkin — flaws and all — that makes the carving and painting process that much more special.

Go on a Hayride

One of my favorite memories as a child is my families annual hayride. The hayride was actually a “haunted hayride” at our towns Century Village. Truth be told, it was always a bit spooky, but it was also incredibly fun.

Over the last several years, the little family of my own has done a more traditional hayride. And every year the kids love it more and more.

Does it matter that we’re only going through the pumpkin patch? Heck no! It’s amazing to them nonetheless.

Jump in a Leaf Pile

If I could name my top three most-despised adult chores they would rank the following: 1. Laundry. 2. Dishes. 3. Raking leaves.

Funny enough, until recently we’ve never had a large yard. But year after year we would spend countless hours raking (and blowing) the leaves in our yard. It felt like an impossible task, as there were always, always, more leaves to rake.

Now, with kids, I see things much differently. The idea of raking leaves actually brings me joy… because I know how much my kids love jumping into leaf piles.

Pumpkin Painting or Carving

I’m going to admit something to you right now — I am not great at carving pumpkins. And also? The whole process can be a bit exhausting.

The tracing, the gutting, the cutting… I’m not the best or most patient with this process. So there have been years where we opt for pumpkin painting instead. And guess what? The kids still adore it. That’s what I call a win-win, folks!

baby in unicorn costume

Trick-or-Treating

Okay, so maybe this one seems like a given. But when my kids were teeny I considered not taking them. And that would have been a huge mistake. There’s nothing cuter than a teeny tiny first-time trick-or-treater. It’s, like, a fact. Everyone will ooh and ahh over how cute your little pumpkin looks.

So suit them up, take them out for approximately 20-minutes, get a few pictures and a handful of candy, and call it a night.

pumpkin candy corn

Bake Cookies

I know that the holidays are generally the time for baking all of the things. But, for me, Christmas is just too busy of a season to truly enjoy baking. It feels more like a chore than a fun event.

Instead, my kids and I bake cookies and other treats in the Fall. We decorate cutout cookies to look like mummies and ghosts; throw together a Fall-themed trail mix; and snack on goodies like Chocolate-mummy-pretzel rods!

Apple Picking

I’m sure we’ve all recently seen the meme about buying apples from the store for $5 versus taking your family on a grand excursion to pick their own apples for $25, but there’s something to be said about seeing where our food comes from.

We are lucky to have several apple orchards within a few minutes of our house, so we’ll pick a nice day in early Fall (during honeycrisp season) and go to an orchard.

pumpkin donut at pumpkin patch

Drink Apple Cider

Is there anything better than warm, mulled, apple cider? The answer is no. Definitely not.

Grab a couple of mulled cider recipes from here and here and enjoy with the family on a cool, Fall evening.

Be sure to print this handy checklist to keep track of all of your Fall Family Fun!

fall family checklist

Tell me — what’s your favorite Fall family activity?

How To Totally Ruin Pinterest Crafts in 4 Simple Steps //

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Let me quickly set the stage — Ari wants to do a Fourth of July craft and I want to oblige. I mean, I’m a crafty mom, right? I do a quick pinterest search, locate a ‘firework’ paint craft, and gather our supplies. Easy peasey!

Or, it should have been. But guys — here’s the truth behind all of those cute, messy, Summer crafts — your children? They aren’t cute; they aren’t easy; but they are messy. And your toddler? They won’t care. Not even a little bit.

So I’m sharing with you what I learned the hard way. How to totally ruin messy Summer crafts in 4 simple steps.

Step 1. Take that easy Pinterest tutorial and expect your toddler to listen (and follow) simple instructions.

Step 2. Set out the supplies, including the paint, and turn your back for approximately 5 seconds. (There’s a 99% chance your toddler has just stuck their hand in the paint)

Step 3. Verbally guide your child through the instructions, letting them get creative and messy. (They will get messy because they’ve decided to just paint the table).

Step 4. Grab your Viva Paper Towels and Clorox spray so that you can clean the mess (Toddler is now painting a tree. No, not painting a tree on the paper; like, literally painting the tree….)

There may have been tears and voices raised. But now I realize it’s kinda funny. I know it is. And after my four year old and I cleaned up the mess, together, with our Viva towels and Clorox spray, I laughed. I mean, what else could I do!? I couldn’t actually be mad. He was doing what he was supposed to do — being a kid + getting messy.

And, luckily, I have saved a ton of money on the Viva towels and Clorox spray when I partner the low prices at Walmart with the Ibotta app rebate savings! So it’s definitely a double-savings win.

This time I took the kids with me to Walmart, but lately I’ve been using their convenient grocery pickup — which saves me both money AND time (which, let’s face it — is the most important thing for a busy mom!).

At the end of the day, I have a happy kid, a (sorta) craft, and a freshly-cleaned table. What else can a mom ask for!? (hint: more sleep).

So tell me — what’s your biggest “Pinterest fail” and how did you clean it up!? 

 

Plan The Perfect Birthday Party // Minions !

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When I planned Ari’s third birthday party, I scoured the web for inspiration. He was dead set on having a Minions party. Admittedly, Minions isn’t my favorite movie. But who’s to argue with a (nearly) three year old?? Not I, friends!

In my quest for party inspiration, Ari rewatched Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, and Minions about a hundred times each (only a slight exaggeration). Turns out? There are a lot of different food-related Minions options!

Here are some examples from the first movie, Despicable Me:

  • Cotton Candy (from the amusement park scene)
  • Giant lollipops (as ‘unicorn horns’)
  • Cheetos (the caterpillar that never turned into a butterfly
  • Cookies (cookie robots!)
  • Lemonade (anti-gravity serum)

And even more food-spiration from Despicable Me 2:

  • Chips + Salsa (El Macho inspired)
  • Bananas (or banana runts)
  • Jelly (jelly sandwiches)
  • Cupcakes (from Bake My Day cupcake shop in the movie)

Throw in just a couple of crafts/games for kids, inspired by the movies, of course:

  • Make macaroni rockets by gluing elbow macaroni onto paper!
  • Use squirt guns as “freeze rays” during free play.
  • Use popsicle sticks, yellow + blue washable markers, and googly-eyes to make little minion ‘puppets.’

And don’t forget about posting the “Party Rules”!

Seriously, the party was such a hit! And I have to say, the endless food options made this party SO easy to throw together at the last minute! Of course, the last tidbit of party-planning wisdom I’ll share is this: Relax and have fun. Sure, we remember the details; but our children just remember the fun.

PS. The Minions have totally grown on me a bit… 😛 Just don’t tell anyone.

 

 

 

Be sure to follow me on Twitter + Instagram to keep up with all of our happenings! 

Pinterest Fun, Plans Gone Awry, + a (Long) Overdue Haircut // A Weekend Wrap Up

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You know those weekends that just restore your soul? Well, I had one of those weekends, friends. It also just so happened to be one of those weekends where I had “X-Y-and-Z” planned…. but all of it got nixed off the to-do list and we just improvised.

Friday we had plans to go to the Great Lakes Science Center and finally utilize our passes. But it was snowing and absolutely frigid, so, even though Chad had taken the day off from work, we decided to just hang around the house with the kids and relax. They still had a blast. [PS. Do you know what kind of fun a 4-year old will have just walking around in Best Buy??]

The chill day came in handy because I had exciting plans for the evening! A little “Moms Night Out,” if you will! My friend Emily had invited me to go to Pin It, which is a Pinterest/craft-making event, with her!

I was so excited to manifest some of my creative energy with Pinterest projects that had already been planned and prepped by someone other than myself! Ha!

But first? Food. Because these delicious macarons and appetizers weren’t going to eat themselves! And after finishing off these delicious snacks, we headed to our first Pin It station — a watercolor mug!

And after the mug we made an “Embrace Messy Hair” planter. I was going to actually use this as a planter, but my mom suggested I use it to store Remy Bea’s bows and headbands. GENIUS! And so it is!

We rounded out the evening with an all-natural headache salve. And, when all was said and done? I realized just how easy these crafts were to do at home! More to come, friends!

Saturday morning, Mimi (who arrived from Kentucky the night before) and I took Ari to the monthly Home Depot workshop.

Unlike January’s workshop, this one wasn’t too complicated for anyone under the age of 40. I kid (but not really. because Februarys’ build was IMPossible). But honestly, if you’ve never been to one of these workshops I absolutely recommend them. They are so fun — and free!

From there I sent Mimi, Chad and the kids to karate while I went to get my haircut for the first time in a few years. YEARS, friends. Years!

 

 

I ended up at Apotheclaire a little early so I stopped next door at Sweet Mary’s Bakery for a morning snack and coffee! And, if you’re local, you *must* stop in to both of these places! Sweet Mary’s Bakery is A-MAZING, and Apotheclaire is so incredibly eco-friendly and local-focused.

I went in to my hair appointment knowing that I wanted my hair cut off, but not a pixie cut like before; I also knew that I wanted something specific, but couldn’t exactly put it into words (or pictures); soooo big pressure to my stylist. Ha! But I told her what I wanted and she delivered ONE THOUSAND PERCENT! Helloooooo, asymmetrical long bob!

I walked around the rest of my day with a little sass in my step, for sure! It’s a good thing we had a family party to attend so that I had somewhere to be with all of that sass!

PS. The only picture I have from this party was of Remy eating ALL OF THE WORLD (as per usual). But seriously. Where does this child (and her tapeworm) put all of this food!?

Saturday night Ari had his first sleepover at Grandma Vicki and Grandma Rosie’s house (my aunts’ house), so we got off the hook and just had to deal with one tired kid! And by the time we got home Remy was totally ready for bed (no naps will do that to a kid!).

After Remy fell asleep, Mimi and I snuck out to the second official Northside Market! It was later than I’d hoped, but we made it! It was great running into Kevin of Studio KMR and Rachel from IWearJewelRay. It was such a quick trip before we headed home, but it was so worth it. I love running into my creative friends, even if just briefly!

And Sunday? Sunday wasn’t all that bad, friends. It had the makings of a busy day — more talk of perhaps going to the Science Center after we picked Ari up from his sleepover. But once we met up with him we realized that taking a sleep deprived child to a busy museum? Not going to be that much fun. So instead we went to lunch and to Trader Joe’s. Because? #MomLife.

Oh, but I did manage to score 4 pairs of shoes for $70 (after tax!!) from Stride Rite in Legacy Village. So, if you’re local to Northeast Ohio, head over there, like, now. Because they’re going out of business and these prices are THE BOMB.

It was honestly the perfect way to round out the weekend. Just regular Mom Life at it’s best.

A huge thank you to everyone who was in any way involved in this weekend. Whether or not I saw you, texted you, or even if you just sent positive vibes my way, thank you. I will always be forever grateful for my tribe. They make weekends like this possible! ♥ ♥ ♥ Cheers to many more weekends like this!

xoxo

holiday wreath making workshop //

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This weekend I had the pleasure of attending The Agrarian Collectives’ wreath making workshop at the Sunnybrook Preserve in Chesterland. Sure, Chesterland is a bit far from where we live (now), but Chad + I both grew up just minutes from this town, so we know the area very well.

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I had signed up a few weeks ago, not knowing how I would be feeling, but knowing that I would desperately need to get out of the house. Turns out, I was right. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten outta the house solo, so I knew Chad & Ari could do without me for just a few hours. Ha!

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I arrived early to give myself time to settle in, and I’m so glad I did! I was able to meet with Kelli from the Agrarian Collective (again) and snap some photos of the spread. — And let me tell you, it was an awesome spread!

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Kelly and her crew did an amazing job at setting up this workshop. Everything looked Pinteresty-perfect! Which, admittedly, helped me tap into my creative side pretty quickly.

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She gave us a quick run-down of what do to. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, but I felt empowered!

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The result? Magical! It’s amazing what a little empowerment and creativity will spark! I got to business and finished my wreath very quickly!

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Seriously. I went from nervous about HOW to create something to just getting it done in a snap! Great leadership from the AC crew! My new, beautiful, simplistic, wreath is now hanging on our door, helping to usher in the holidays!

Bonus — I, unknowingly, scratched #7 off of my 31 for 31 list by taking a “makers” workshop! 

Please checkout the other events that they have going on, including the longest night, a winter solstice gathering, on Tuesday December 22nd! Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased online here! From what I understand this event is nearly sold out!